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NEARLY EIGHT IN 10 AUSTRALIANS BELIEVE NOT-FOR-PROFITS ARE GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY

CAF RELEASES ITS AUSTRALIA GIVING REPORT

A report released today says that when it comes to charities and not-for-profits (NFPs), Australians are a positive bunch.

Around three quarters (73%) believe they have a positive influence on their local community, and slightly more (78%) say they have a positive impact on Australia as a whole. 68% believe that NFPs have a positive impact internationally.

That’s according to the Australia Giving report, released by Good2Give, an affiliate to the CAF Global Alliance of organisations. This report is the first of its kind in Australia, analysing giving behaviours across a wide range of metrics and forming part of a global assessment of how different countries engage with the not-for-profit sector.

The positive impression that millions of Australians have of NFPs is echoed by the recent Edelman Trust Barometer, which found that 56% of the general public trust NGOs (non-governmental organisations), higher than Business at 52%, the Government at 42% and the Media at 40%.

Other key findings of the 2019 Australia Giving report include:

Three quarters (74%) of Australians have taken part in a charitable activity in the past 12 months, such as volunteering or donating money; half (49%)say they have done so in the last four weeks

Two thirds have given money in the past 12 months (68%) and supporting children is the most popular cause

A third (35%) have volunteered in the past 12 months; as with donating money, supporting children is the most popular cause (21% of volunteers)

Younger Australians are more likely to have volunteered in the last year; 47% of 18-24s did so, compared with just 28% of the over 55s

41% of Australians also stated that they would be likely to donate more money, time or goods over the next 12 months if they knew for sure how their money is spent. More transparency in the sector and knowing that the sector is well regulated are the joint third reasons why people might give more in the coming year (both 23%), demonstrating that although Australians generally trust NFPs, more could be done for good causes if there was a higher level of perceived transparency.

Caring about the cause is the most common reason given by donors as to why they gave money, with more than half (54%) saying this. Helping people less fortunate than them (41%) is the second most cited reason, and realising they can make a difference (33%) the third, implying that Australians are much more likely to give for altruistic reasons, as opposed to motivations such as tax incentives.

“This is our first year producing the Australia Giving report, and it’s been encouraging to see not only how the vast majority of Australians trust the not-for-profit sector, but also how millions of Australians engage by donating their time and money to causes they care about.

“Charitable institutions will never take this for granted, and we’ll do our utmost to promote transparency across the sector. This way, we can build a more trusting, long-lasting relationship between not-for-profits and the Australian public.”

Notes to editors:

Methodology

This report is based on data collected by YouGov on behalf of CAF.

In Australia, 1,023 interviews were completed online between 2nd and 31st August 2018. The survey was conducted using the YouGov panel.

The sample is nationally representative and is weighted to known population data on demographics including age, gender, and region.

Diﬀerences are reported at the 95% confidence level (the level of confidence that the results are a true reﬂection of the whole population). The maximum margin of error (the amount of random sampling error) is calculated as ±3%.

About Good2Give

Good2Give is a not-for-profit that makes it easy for businesses and their employees to support the communities and causes they care about. Committed to building a more giving society, Good2Give provides innovative technology solutions to help businesses, donors and charities connect. As well as advising businesses on how to engage with charities, Good2Give’s market-leading technology platforms allow for the efficient and secure processing of around a million donations annually. Since 2001, Good2Give has facilitated over $200 million to more than 7,000 Australian and international communities.

Good2Give is an affiliate to the CAF Global Alliance of organisations that work to grow giving and strengthen civil society. Being part of a global family of organisations spanning the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Russia, India, South Africa, Brazil and Bulgaria is integral to our heritage and allows us to build our expertise to ensure maximum impact in Australia and New Zealand.

About CAF

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a leading international charity registered in the United Kingdom.

CAF exists to make giving go further, so that more lives and communities around the world can be transformed.

CAF is a charity and a champion for better giving, and for over 90 years has helped donors, companies, charities and social organisations make a bigger impact. Through CAF Bank, it offers simple and straightforward day-to-day banking, designed exclusively for charities.

The CAF Global Alliance is a leading international network of independent, locally led organisations working at the forefront of philanthropy and civil society. It is a champion for better giving and civil society and harnesses local knowledge and expertise to help donors, companies and civil society make a bigger impact. Last year more than 70,000 charities received over £500m in donations in more than 100 countries.